“It’s been bad for a long while,” I say. “But the day I found out you’d been named by the ritual, we lost Liza. She was like a mother to me… To everyone in the pack.”
“Didn’t you have any other family?” Hyacinth asks. I shake my head.
“My mother died when I was very young,” I reply, forcing the words through my shuddering chest. “A rogue witch, or so they told me. I don’t really know. We blamed everything on witches, and now I don’t know what to believe.”
“I’m so sorry,” Hyacinth says, hugging me.
“Liza took care of me because my father was always too busy. Around the time I became alpha, my grandfather disappeared, and my father did, too. They were supposed to be searching for a cure. Things went bad so fast I didn’t really think about it—and we couldn’t stretch our resources any further looking for them.”
“So you lost your Mom the day you kidnapped me?” Hyacinth asks, shocked. I nod, meeting her gaze even though I have tears in my eyes.
“I never forgot my real Mom, of course. I thought my world ended when she died, but Liza rebuilt it for me. She helped me realize the whole pack is my family, and she made me the alpha I am today.”
Hyacinth can’t hold my gaze and snuggles against my chest to hug me even tighter.
“I understand,” she whispers, her voice muffled. “And until we find a way out of this, not a single soul in this valley will have peace.”
Her voice has an odd ring to it, as if she knows more than she’s saying. As much as I want to ask, I know both of us are in a fragile state right now, and I’m still not done absorbing the news about her ex.
That someone could treat any woman that way is incomprehensible, but Hyacinth? She’s so warm and caring, but unbelievably strong. What kind of sick man would want to destroy that?
She snuggles closer to my chest, her fingers lightly caressing my sides. I stroke her hair some more, loving the way she leans into my touch, and relaxes against me with her eyes closed and a peaceful smile on her face.
No matter what comes of this. I will protect you, and I will love you, for the rest of my days—even if it only brings me pain.
Chapter 22 - Hyacinth
I stay curled up against Shane for a long time, just drifting and trying not to think. If I immerse myself in the feeling of us being together, there is no doubt or fear. Only a sense of comfort and safety that feels too perfect to trust.
His heartfelt apology moved me, and I really believe he didn’t want to hurt me… but still, there is fear in my heart. How can I know if what we are feeling right now will be the truth of us forever?
Shane murmurs something, a single word that sounds like “forever,” and cradles my head against his chest. His fingers stroke my hair so gently, I can’t imagine that these hands would ever give me pain.
I sit up slowly, letting my eyes trail over his muscular chest, exposed by the tear I made in his shirt. I can’t help reaching out to touch him, and I press my palm flat to feel the strong beat of his heart. As the sensation strengthens under my hand, I close my eyes to increase the sensitivity of my touch. A strange, disorienting feeling sweeps over me, and it takes me a moment to realize I’m surrounded by a strange web of light.
I open my eyes quickly, but the room is exactly the same. Shane is watching me, a small grin on his bow-shaped mouth. I smile back, then close my eyes again.
The thudding of his heart beats strongly under my hand, and from that point, a web of light appears around me, pulsing in time with his heart. That’s when I realize I’m somehow seeing inside him, as if the inner workings of his body are being projected into something I can see with senses I never had before.
I try to relax and give myself up to the sensation, following the little pulses of light as they streak through his astral body. He seems strong and healthy, but threatening the light at every turn are knots of malignant shadow. They grow slowly but steadily, and I know I’m looking right at the curse.
“Hey, are you okay?” Shane asks.
Feeling his hand on my cheek, I open my eyes, seeing his concerned expression. “Yes, I’m fine,” I answer. “I’m just worried about you. You seem fine while I’m touching you, but I think the curse is still active and I’m barely keeping it at bay.”
“I feel the same way,” he says, putting his hand over mine where it rests on his chest. “I don’t feel healed right now, just as if I’m getting a brief respite.”
“What can we do?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “It might be time to call the others,” he says, sighing. “Owen and Rhys, and the girls. I don’t know what Sadie’s been up to, but apparently it’s been nonstop witchcraft for the last few weeks.”
“Don’t call them yet,” I say, almost desperately. “Let’s just enjoy this moment a bit longer.”
“Okay,” he replies, brushing a strand of hair off my cheek. “I don’t mind a delay, but honestly, I think the only thing that’s going to give us answers is a big shakedown with them—and probably the elders.”
“At the manor,” I add.
Shane nods. “Most likely there, yes.”
